David Cameron's end of summer term visit to the forces in Afghanistan will be handled by his hosts with courtesy and professional tolerance. Most though have seen enough politicians' visits during their careers to treat apparent sincerity on these occasions with a pinch of salt. They know that the real audience is back home , but hope that in accepting that they will be receive some useful crumbs of comfort and recognition. Allowances for putting themselves in danger of a fatal or normal life destroying bullet or explosive device have been improved but are still insignificant in cost per day compared to such things as London transport staff , including the Euston train cleaners, bonuses for bravery (or even just doing their jobs and also receiving overtime as well) , in the face of the Olympics.
Beneath all the politico-speak everyone with a grain of sense or understanding of the world knows that the UK and its allies should never have put troops into Afghanistan and that it is a costly waste of lives and money. With all the best of naive intentions, once the foreign occupiers have left, Afghanistan is likely to face another unpleasant era of Taleban repression, and misery followed probably by some sort of revolt, tribal or national, which may or may not produce a more liberal but also more corrupt regime. The west being there has not made the streets of London or anywhere else safer. The bad lads of the Al Quaeda franchises have simply moved elsewhere, - not very far in many cases ,- but they are still around and there are more effcient, clinical and effective ways of dealing with them than old fashioned boots on the ground. Politically as the Conservative Party never issued a single bleat when Blair/Brown decided to emabark on another Middle East adventure/war they can't say they opposed it and are desparate to achieve "withdrawal with honour". The military though know that means more of their lives will be lost to protect the myth that the losses so far have been "worth it".
While enjoying his time in the dust, Mr Cameron is said also to have "demanded" that Assad leaves power in Syria. Nobody will argue against the fact that Assad and his unpleasant and vicious (if you opposed it) Baath Party rule was undemocratic and should give way to something with more time for human rights and less prone to killing its dissident citizens. They should not forget though, that like the Baath in Iraq, it was a secular regime and the numbers it killed are likely to be far less than those who are dying now and will die in the future western- inspired civil war. The west and the UK can not solve all the world's problems and be its policeman. Bad things will happen, nasty regimes will come and go but usually the really bad periods will be shorter if they are not fuelled , made more complex and worse or prolongued by external intervention. Yes, there are exceptions of course but they should be very, very few.
One would suggest that Mr. Cameron and many other politicians should include in their summer chillaxing some serious reading of Middle Eastern history. Even Flashman could help the interested but less academic. Once better genned up on that, MPs of all parties should then be forced to spend another fortnight at least on serious study tours of the dyamism of South and North East Asia. They might at least then eventually return to Westminster with eyes a little more open and the brains of the more alert saying "Oh s---!"
Beneath all the politico-speak everyone with a grain of sense or understanding of the world knows that the UK and its allies should never have put troops into Afghanistan and that it is a costly waste of lives and money. With all the best of naive intentions, once the foreign occupiers have left, Afghanistan is likely to face another unpleasant era of Taleban repression, and misery followed probably by some sort of revolt, tribal or national, which may or may not produce a more liberal but also more corrupt regime. The west being there has not made the streets of London or anywhere else safer. The bad lads of the Al Quaeda franchises have simply moved elsewhere, - not very far in many cases ,- but they are still around and there are more effcient, clinical and effective ways of dealing with them than old fashioned boots on the ground. Politically as the Conservative Party never issued a single bleat when Blair/Brown decided to emabark on another Middle East adventure/war they can't say they opposed it and are desparate to achieve "withdrawal with honour". The military though know that means more of their lives will be lost to protect the myth that the losses so far have been "worth it".
While enjoying his time in the dust, Mr Cameron is said also to have "demanded" that Assad leaves power in Syria. Nobody will argue against the fact that Assad and his unpleasant and vicious (if you opposed it) Baath Party rule was undemocratic and should give way to something with more time for human rights and less prone to killing its dissident citizens. They should not forget though, that like the Baath in Iraq, it was a secular regime and the numbers it killed are likely to be far less than those who are dying now and will die in the future western- inspired civil war. The west and the UK can not solve all the world's problems and be its policeman. Bad things will happen, nasty regimes will come and go but usually the really bad periods will be shorter if they are not fuelled , made more complex and worse or prolongued by external intervention. Yes, there are exceptions of course but they should be very, very few.
One would suggest that Mr. Cameron and many other politicians should include in their summer chillaxing some serious reading of Middle Eastern history. Even Flashman could help the interested but less academic. Once better genned up on that, MPs of all parties should then be forced to spend another fortnight at least on serious study tours of the dyamism of South and North East Asia. They might at least then eventually return to Westminster with eyes a little more open and the brains of the more alert saying "Oh s---!"
